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W. H. Ficklin

Publications and source records attributed to W. H. Ficklin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2002

Interaction of acid mine drainage with waters and sediments of West Squaw Creek in the West Shasta Mining District, California

Acid mine drainage has acidified large volumes of water and added high concentrations of dissolved heavy metals to West Squaw Creek, a California stream draining igneous rocks of low acid-neutralizing capacity. During mixing of the acid sulfate stream waters in the South Fork of West Squaw Creek with an almost equal volume of dilute uncontaminated water, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Al remained in solution rather than precipitating or adsorbing on solid phases. Changes in the concentration of these generally conservative metals could be used to determine relative flow volumes of acid tributaries and the main stream. An amorphous orange precipitate (probably ferric hydroxides or a mixture of ferric hydroxides and jarosite) was ubiquitous in the acid stream beds and was intimately associated with algae at the most acid sites. Relative sorption of cations decreased with decreasing water pH. However, arsenic was almost completely scavenged from solution within a short distance from the sulfide sources.

California↗
USGS1995

Anomalous gold, antimony, arsenic, and tungsten in ground water and alluvium around disseminated gold deposits along the Getchell Trend, Humboldt County, Nevada

Ground-water, alluvium, and bedrock samples were collected from drill holes near the Chimney Creek, Preble, Summer Camp, and Rabbit Creek disseminated gold deposits in northern Nevada to determine if Au and ore-related metals, such as As, Sb, and W, are being hydromorphically mobilized from buried mineralized rock, and, if they are, to determine whether the metal-enriched ground water is reacting with the alluvial material to produce a geochemical anomaly within the overburden. Results of chemical analyses of drill-hole water samples show the presence of hydromorphic dispersion anomalies of Au, As, Sb, and W in the local ground-water systems associated with these deposits. Background concentrations for Au in the ground water up-gradient from the buried deposits was less than 1 nanogram per liter (ng/L), near the deposits the Au values ranged from 1 to 140 ng/ L, and in drill holes penetrating mineralized rock, concentrations of Au in the ground water were as high as 4700 ng/L. Highest concentrations of Au were found in ground-water samples where the measured E h and the distribution of arsenic species, arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)], indicated oxidizing redox potentials. Similarly, As, Sb, and W concentrations in the ground water near the deposits were significantly enriched relative to concentrations in the ground water up-gradient from the deposits. In general, however, the highest concentrations of As, Sb, and W occurred in ground-water samples where the measured E h and the distribution of arsenic species indicated reducing conditions. Arsenic concentrations ranged from 9 to 710 micrograms per liter (μg/L); Sb, from less than 0.1 to 250 μg/L; and W, from 1 to 260 μg/L. In addition, analysis of sequential dissolution and extraction solutions of drill cuttings of alluvium and bedrock indicate geochemical anomalies of gold and ore-related metals in the overburden at depths corresponding to the location of the present-day water table. This relationship suggests that water-rock reactions around these buried deposits are active and that this information could be very useful in exploration programs for concealed disseminated gold deposits.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗
USGS1993

Analytical results for As species and related elements in interstitial porewater and sediment from the Maurice River and Union Lake in Vineland, New Jersey

Union Lake, the Maurice River, and the Blackwater Branch , a tributary of the Maurice River, all parts of a small watershed near Vineland, New Jersey, are contaminated by arsenic (As) from a local chemical factory (fig. l)(Faust and others, 1987). An indepth study to be used for the design of the remedial action at the Vineland Chemical Co. Superfund site was initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine the extent and severity of the contamination. The Vineland Chemical Co. site is located in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Organic As herbicides were manufactured there from approximately 1949 to the late 1980's. As part of the effort, core samples were collected in the Maurice River close to the chemical factory and from Union Lake, a reservoir approximately seven miles from the factory. This report summarizes the analytical results for As speciation and various constituents in the interstitial porewater and associated sediment from these cores. Because the U.S. Geological Survey has the analytical expertise and necessary equipment, the samples were analyzed in USGS laboratories in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington.

New Jersey↗
USGS1993

Integrated mineral-resource and mineral-environmental assessments of public lands: Applications for land management and resource planning

Mineral-deposit geology is an important control on natural contamination from unmined mineral deposits, and on the environmental effects of mining and mineral processing. The U. S. Geological Survey, Office of Mineral Resources (USGS/OMR) is now integrating geology-based environmental assessments into its mineral resource assessments of public and other lands. This report presents prototype mineralenvironmental assessments of the State of Colorado and the San Juan National Forest. The following pages will show examples of how geologic information can be used to help predict and prevent adverse environmental effects of mineralresource development.

Colorado↗
USGS1992

Geochemical exploration for copper-nickel deposits in the cool-humid climate of northeastern Minnesota

Water was used as a medium for geochemical exploration to detect copper-nickel mineralization along the basal zone of the Duluth Complex. Ni 2+ is the most important pathfinder for the detection of the mineralized rocks, followed by Cu 2+ and SO 4 2− and to a lesser extent Mg 2+ and SiO 2 . A normalized sum plot using these species defines the mineralization more consistently than a single-element plot, mainly because the absence of one variable does not significantly influence the normalized sum value. A hydrogeochemical survey was conducted in an area of known copper-nickel mineralization in the cool-humid climate of northeastern Minnesota. The area is covered with glacial drift, and wetlands are abundant. Modeling of the chemistry of waters indicates that the waters are oxidizing and have a pH of 7 or less. The most important pathfinder species in the waters, Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , and SO 4 2− , are derived from the simple weathering of sulfide minerals and are mobile in the waters in this environment. Plots of Cu and Ni concentrations in soils show that Cu followed by Ni are the most useful indicator elements for delineating copper-nickel mineralization. The ability of soils and water to delineate the mineralization supports the use of both media for geochemical exploration in this cool-humid environment. In the wetlands, abundant water is available and soils are scarce or absent; where soils are abundant, waters are generally scarce or absent. The use of both media is recommended for geochemical exploration in this environment.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗
USGS1990

Extraction and speciation of arsenic in lacustrine sediments

Arsenic was partially extracted with 4.O M hydrochloric acid, from samples collected at 25-cm intervals in a 350-cm column of sediment at Milltown Reservoir, Montana and from a 60-cm core of sediment collected at the Cheyenne River Embayment of Lake Oahe, South Dakota. The sediment in both reservoirs is highly contaminated with arsenic. The extracted arsenic was separated into As(III) and As(V) on acetate form Dowex 1-X8 ion-exchange resin with 0.12 M HCl eluent. Residual arsenic was sequentially extracted with KClO 3 and HCl. Arsenic was determined by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry. The analytical results define oxidized and reduced zones in the sediment columns.

Montana, South Dakota↗